Chapter 9. Router Management

• Policies and Procedure Definition ” A clear policy and procedure definition is required to maintain any well-running network. Service Level Agreements, change management policies, and escalation procedures are all necessary.

• Simple Network Management Protocol ” SNMP provides the basis for network management applications. Understanding how it works is essential if you are going to use any network management application on the network.

• RMON ” RMON provides additional network management capabilities. Understanding how it works is essential if you are going to use any RMON-based network management application on the network.

• Logging ” Logging the information about events that occur on Cisco routers provides a valuable resource when you are researching a network issue that may relate to the router.

• Syslog ” Logging information to a syslog server creates a centralized repository of router event information that you can use to corrolate a network event to multiple network devices.

• Network Time Protocol ” The Network Time Protocol synchronizes the clocks on all participating network devices, easing the corrolation of past events.

• Accounting ” Accounting performed on network devices collects data that you can use to understand traffic flow as well as to bill network users based on the traffic flow.

• Configuration Management ” Configuration management is the set of tools, processes, and policies used to maintain working, valid configuration files.

• Fault Management ” Fault management systems notify the network manager of a failure somewhere in the network. The failure may be an event that causes some network services to be unavailable, or it may be an indication that performance may be affected.

• Performance Management ” Performance management systems collect data used for trending and capacity planning.

• Security Management ” Router security management ensures the integrity of routers. Various tools and configuration parameters are available to ensure that routers are not compromised.

• Designing Servers to Support Management Processes ” The servers that support management processes provide the eyes into the network and therefore need to be secure, robust, and redundantly accessible to the network devices they are managing.

• Network Robustness ” Network robustness requirements should include LANs and routing from the end node off the LAN to the rest of the network. HSRP provides default router redundancy, enabling end nodes configured with a single default gateway to utilize the robustness.

• Lab ” The network lab is used to test plans, designs, new hardware, new operating systems, new protocols, new procedures, and so on. The lab should mirror the production network as much as possible to enable valid testing to occur.

So far in this book, you have read about ways to forward IP packets through networks and routers. For the packet forwarding to be successfull the networks and routers have to be healthy , in good working condition, and always available. The network and routers need to be managed, both reactively and proactively, to ensure their health. It is also important to lab test and monitor the effect of the forwarding mechanisms ”the routing protocols, the network address translation, multicasting, and quality of service ”to make sure that the network and routers continue to run smoothly.

This chapter covers the necessity of clear operational policies and procedures, the basics of configuring SNMP and RMON on the router to monitor the network and routers, and essentials for successful performance, fault, and security management. Also discussed are ways to maintain router availability and general concepts of lab construction and use.